Yesterday was International Women’s Day, which is always an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come on our journey towards gender equality, but also a reminder of how much work we still have to do.

When it comes to sport, we have had plenty of moments to celebrate in the last 12 months.

This Saturday when the NSW Breakers play the Western Fury in the WNCL Final, the Fury will feature in their first final in 18 years, while incredibly, the Breakers will be playing in their 22nd WNCL final, looking to claim their 19th title.

But for one special woman – Alex Blackwell – it will be her last appearance in Breakers Blue and the last time she captains her state after she announced her retirement from international and state cricket earlier this week after 16 years at an elite level.

The outpouring of emotion has been incredible to watch. It has come from people she has played with, people she has played against and people she has never met.

When I left North Sydney Oval at the conclusion of WBBL03 opening weekend, I did so feeling buzzed for a massive summer of cricket ahead.

Following the conclusion of a successful Ashes series for the Australian Women’s Cricket team, the 8725 people that joined me through the gates during opening weekend had a real hunger for the women’s game and to cheer on players like Ellyse Perry, Elyse Villani, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachel Haynes, Kristen Beams and Alex Blackwell – all names which are popular and recognised in Australian sport.

On Sunday afternoon when the final of WBBL03 is played, it’ll be déjà vu for cricket fans, with the final being contested between the same two clubs as last year – the Sydney Sixers and the Perth Scorchers.

To book their place in the final, the Perth Scorchers beat the Sydney Thunder by 27 runs, largely due to the efforts of Nicole Bolton, Ellyse Villani and Emma King.

This article was written by Kristy Williams – a journalist with a love of Simpsons quotes.

The Strikers won another thriller yesterday, sneaking over the line against the Scorchers with a ball to spare at the beautiful Treager Park in Alice Springs.

In a shortened 16 over game the Scorchers could only manage 9-87, losing wickets consistently throughout their innings before a Suzie Bates masterclass guided the Strikers home despite a few small hiccups along the way.

This article was written by Kristy Williams – a journalist with a big love of Simpsons quotes.

There are no words to adequately describe the Melbourne Renegades thrilling Super Over win over the Sydney Sixers in Geelong today. It took a cheeky extra run from Sarah Aley on the last ball of the game to push the match to a Super Over, after wicketkeeper, Emma Inglis, celebrated the victory too early; but in the end it was not enough to get the Sixers over the line.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, the Renegades got off to a horror start when Chamari Atapattu ran herself out, succumbing to the pressure of the suffocating Marizanne Kapp (0-15 off four overs).

One question I have been asked repeatedly over the last two weeks has been, ‘Mary, how do you feel about rugby league finally following the AFL and getting a women’s competition of its own’.

I always chuckle to myself when I get asked this question and respond in the same way.

The launch of AFLW was a moment in time in the history of Australian sport, but if we are talking about other sports following each other in the development and establishment of professional women’s competitions, then surely cricket came first with the WBBL.